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A deep conversation on what it really means to be an artist and find your path with creative coach, prolific artist, and my dear friend, Monika Beal. Check out Monika’s coaching and her writing at www.monikabeal.com Essay: An Artist by Monika Beal: https://monikabeal.com/musingsmischief/2021/6/17/essay-an-artist IG: @makinit.opera Find resources and support us at www.makinitinopera.com

Celebrating 1 year of Makin' It in Opera & Kicking off the THIRD SEASON: The Rethink - which is what we do after we've healed and recalibrated. Follow the pod @makinit.opera Support the pod/get resources at www.makinitinopera.com

My interview with the incredible and persistent Executive Director of the National Opera House in Pittsburgh, Jonnet Solomon. Instagram: @nationaloperahousepgh Website where you can donate to the NOH: www.nationaloperahouse.org/donate Short documentary from WQED on the NOH made in 2009: https://youtu.be/q3TxB-S9VtQ Upcoming events at the NOH: If you happen to be in Pittsburgh, the NOH will be participating in a Women Owned Market on Saturday July 9, and a beer festival called Barrel & Flow on August 18, 2022.

My interview with the incredible Minka Wiltz - actor, singer, voice-over artist, podcaster, and playwright. Follow on Minka on Instagram: @minkawiltz777 See Heal, Hope, Love on her website, www.minkawiltz.com or on YouTube: Find the Cultural Workers podcast: https://anchor.fm/minka-wiltz Keep up with the pod on Instagram @makinitinopera Support the Pod: www.makinitinopera.com Clip from the beginning of the podcast is "Hope" by Jason Robert Brown, recording from Heal, Hope, Love

Follow Dana’s Work: The Empowered Musician www.theempoweredmusician.com Mass Opera www.massopera.org Dana Lynne Varga’s Artist Page www.danavarga.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theempoweredmusician/ Articles: Excluded, Penalized, Indebted, Harassed: Systemic discrimination against women in opera https://theempoweredmusician.com/systemic-discrimination-in-opera/ DMA’s and the elusive, coveted, full-time faculty position: https://theempoweredmusician.com/dmas-and-the-elusive-coveted-full-time-faculty-position/ An Impossible Choice: Music majors, COVID-19 and an uncertain future https://theempoweredmusician.com/an-impossible-choice-music-majors-covid-19-and-an-uncertain-future/ Keep up with the pod on Instagram @makinitinopera Support the Pod: www.makinitinopera.com

My interview with Jillian Paige, singer, actress, producer, and creator of Meisner in Music, where we talk about how we can turn singing back into an expression of our feelings, rather than a facilitation of feelings we want other people to have.  Jillian Paige @jillianpaige on Instagram, www.jillianpaige.com Meisner in Music @meisnerinmusic on Instagram, www.meisnerinmusic.com Read Jillian’s story of how she came to Meisner Trauma Informed Healing Intensive with Meisner in Music (till May 4th early bird $100 off with code SONGBIRD) Info about their Equity and Inclusion Scholarship Keep up with the pod on Instagram @makinitinopera and support us by telling your friends, rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts, and pitch in some money by donating on ko-fi - you can find the link when you go to www.makinitinopera.com.

This is Part II of my conversation with the incredible Jayme Alilaw, where we dive deep into her journey as an entrepreneurial artist and the intricacies of the work the Black Opera Alliance is doing to move opera forward. Jayme Alilaw is a soprano, activist, empowerment coach, and anti-racism facilitator. She's a specialist in African American Spirituals and Art Song Repertoire, she's part of the four-member Leadership Council of the Black Opera Alliance, and she's the CEO of From the Core Coaching, where she coaches and leads seminars centered on setting free the voices of the oppressed. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram, @sangmsjayme, website is www.jayme-alilaw.com You can follow her coaching for individuals and organisations @fromthecorecoaching  Website is www.fromthecorecoaching.com Donate to The Black Opera Alliance and sign their pledge at www.blackoperaalliance.org Keep up with the pod Instagram @makinitinopera Support us by telling your friends and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts. You can pitch in to keep us going by donating on ko-fi - find the link when you go to www.makinitinopera.com.

Jayme Alilaw is a soprano, activist, empowerment coach, and anti-racism facilitator. She's a specialist in African American Spirituals and Art Song Repertoire, she's part of the four-member Leadership Council of the Black Opera Alliance, and she's the CEO of From the Core Coaching, where she coaches and leads seminars centered on setting free the voices of the oppressed. You can find her on Twitter and Instagram, @sangmsjayme, website is www.jayme-alilaw.com You can follow her coaching for individuals and organisations @fromthecorecoaching  Website is www.fromthecorecoaching.com Keep up with the pod Instagram @makinitinopera Support us by telling your friends and rating and reviewing us on Apple Podcasts You can pitch in to keep us going by donating on ko-fi - find the link when you go to www.makinitinopera.com.

A chat with Andrew Simonet, dancer, choreographer, and creator of Artists U, who believes that building a sustainable life as an artist is a political act. Sign up for his newsletter at www.andrewsimonet.com Check out Artists U and sign up for their newsletter at www.artistsu.org Support the pod: https://ko-fi.com/makinitinopera Resources to help you make it on your own terms and other good stuff: www.makinitinopera.com IG: @makinit.opera

A riff on what it means for the artists and the industry of opera to heal and recalibrate from decades of keeping up appearances - the themes of this season! Donate to help keep us going: https://ko-fi.com/makinitinopera Get resources here: www.makinitinopera.com

Part II of a beautiful conversation with Raehann Bryce-Davis. Black Women in Opera Fest (11/20/21 panel discussions on Opera): https://fb.watch/9ppJkSG2pw/ Shade: A Conversation about Race, Culture, and Identity in Opera (11/17/21): https://youtu.be/Oj-1IBltG6Q Visit Raehann’s website: http://www.raehann.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raehannbrycedavis/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/raehannbd Video of To The Afflicted: https://youtu.be/QAPtCED5nlw Video of Brown Sounds: https://youtu.be/22OR3ygygqg Learn more about the Black Opera Alliance: https://www.blackoperaalliance.org Donate to Support the Black Opera Alliance: https://blackoperaalliance.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/blackoperaalliance/donation.jsp At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast

Raehann Bryce-Davis has been hailed by the New York Times as a "striking mezzo soprano" and by the San Francisco Chronicle for her "electrifying sense of fearlessness." 2021/22 includes performances of Der Komponist in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Preziosilla in Verdi's La Forza del Destino at Théâtre du Capitole, Azucena in three productions of Verdi’s Il Trovatore at The Glimmerglass Festival, LA Opera, and Staatstheater Nürnberg, Gods and Mortals, at The Glimmerglass Festival, singing selections of Wagner’s Lohengrin as Ortrud and Die Walküre as Fricka, as well as her company debuts at La Monnaie de Munt as La Zia Principessa in Puccini's Suor Angelica, Konzert und Theater St Gallen as Joan of Arc in Tchaikovsky's Maid of Orleans, and her company debut at Teatro alla Scala as Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. Last season featured highlights like her role debut as Eboli in Verdi’s Don Carlos at Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, her LA Opera debut in the World Premiere of Aucoin and Ruhl’s Eurydice, a coproduction with The Metropolitan Opera, and her role debut as Sara in Roberto Devereux opposite Angela Meade and Ramon Vargas. As a producer/performer Bryce-Davis has released "To the Afflicted," her first music video, which received much critical acclaim and was chosen as an official video for World Opera Day. Her second digital short, “Brown Sounds,” was co-produced with LA Opera and Aural Compass Projects, and won Best Music Video at film festivals around the globe including the New York International Film Awards, New York Cinematography Awards, Hollywood Boulevard Film Awards, the Anatolian Short Film Festival, and the Silk Road Film Awards - Cannes. Bryce-Davis is a 2018 recipient of the prestigious George London Award at the George London Competition, the 2017 1st Place and Audience Prize-winner of the Concorso Lirico Internazionale di Portofino competition; chaired by Dominique Meyer, Winner of the 2016 Richard F. Gold Career Grant at the Merola Opera Program, Winner of the 2015 Hilde Zadek Competition at the Musikverein in Vienna, and the 2015 Sedat Gürel - Güzin Gürel International Voice Competition in Istanbul. She holds a Master of Music and Professional Studies certificate from the Manhattan School of Music and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Texas at Arlington. Raehann Bryce-Davis is a co-founder of the Black Opera Alliance and is an advocate for social justice in opera. Visit her website: http://www.raehann.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raehannbrycedavis/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/raehannbd Video of To The Afflicted: https://youtu.be/QAPtCED5nlw Video of Brown Sounds: https://youtu.be/22OR3ygygqg Learn more about the Black Opera Alliance: https://www.blackoperaalliance.org Donate to Support the Black Opera Alliance: https://blackoperaalliance.app.neoncrm.com/np/clients/blackoperaalliance/donation.jsp At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast If you’d like to share your point of view of what it means to “make it”, send me a voice recording to makinitinopera@gmail.com and I may feature you in a future episode. Music credit: Our Block Party by Reaktor Productions This show was a production of Sounds Like Cool Studios, LLC.

Charlotte Jackson and Perri di Christi are hosts of their own podcast, Thrilled To Announce, and in our conversation today we’ll riff on how their show came about, what their opera careers and journeys were like, and what it’s like to tackle some tough topics on their podcast as they relate to opera.  We had a great talk and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! Instagram: @thrilledtoannounceee Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thrilledtoannounce/posts Merch: https://thrilled-to-announce-pod.myshopify.com/collections/merch Decolonizing Broken Voices Episode: https://anchor.fm/thrilledtoannounce/episodes/Decolonizing-Broken-Voices-e138len The YAP Episode: https://anchor.fm/thrilledtoannounce/episodes/The-YAP-Episode-Pt--1-Feat--Blake-Jennings-enko2c At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast If you’d like to share your point of view of what it means to “make it”, send me a voice recording to makinitinopera@gmail.com and I may feature you in a future episode. Music credit: Our Block Party by Reaktor Productions A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Portland, Oregon composer and mezzo-soprano Lisa Neher (b. 1985) writes theatrical, story-driven music for instruments and voices. Trained as a stage actress, her compositions are shaped by her keen sense of dramatic timing and feature aching, lyrical phrases, energetic rhythmic motives, and intense harmonies. She often draws inspiration for her works from the natural world, suggesting the joyous bubbling of streams, the delicacy of sprouting plants, and the eerie mystery of deep ocean life with evocative timbres and vivid motives. Lisa’s commissions include works for Third Angle New Music, Durward Ensemble, the Glass City Singers, Coe College Orchestra, Kirkwood Community College Chamber Singers, pianist Michael Kirkendoll, and flutist Rose Bishop. Her marimba duo Thaw was premiered by Mayumi Hama and Chris Froh at the Sacramento State Festival of New American Music. She is a fellow of the Cortona Sessions for New Music and the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music. Lisa is in high demand as a performer of contemporary and standard repertoire and is the creator of the One Voice Project, a performance of new unaccompanied songs and poetry. She spends her free time distance running and baking delicious treats involving copious amounts of chocolate. For more information, visit her website, www.lisanehermusic.com. ​Lisa uses she/her pronouns and her last name is pronounced "NEER." ​​www.lisanehermusic.com Instagram: @lisanehermezzo Facebook: @lisanehermusic Twitter: @lisaneher One Voice Project Micro Opera Festival and the Think Small conversation series are on her Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/LisaNeher/playlists At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast If you’d like to share your point of view of what it means to “make it”, send me a voice recording to makinitinopera@gmail.com and I may feature you in a future episode. Music credit: Our Block Party by Reaktor Productions A Podcast Launch Bestie production

Is it activism? Is it entertainment? Is it art? Who cares? Daniel Hellmann is a singer, performer, dance and theater maker from Zurich. He studied philosophy, classical singing and theater / performance and has been developing his own artistic and multi-award-winning works since 2012. Hellmann sees his artistic practice as a form of intersectional activism. His projects examine the body, physical relationships and desire, and question social norms and power relations in the fields of sexuality, human and animal rights. As part of his interactive performance "Full Service" (2014), Hellmann performed hundreds of services around the world in return for appropriate payment. His solo performance "Traumboy" (2015) about male sex work was selected for the Sélection Suisse en Avignon and for the Swiss Selection Edinburgh. In 2019, the female counterpart "Traumgirl" was created together with Anne Welenc - the third production on the subject of sex work, which premiered in August 2019 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Since 2017, Hellmann has been focusing more and more on animal-human relationships in his work. For the music theater performance "Requiem for a piece of meat" (2017) he was awarded the June Johnson Dance Prize and invited to the Swiss Dance Days 2019. With his alter ego "Soya the Cow" - a sex-positive, feminist, vegan drag cow, he created the one-cow show "Dear Human Animals" (2020). As Soya he also appears at art festivals, panel discussions and night clubs and is currently recording his first music album "Purple Grass". In addition to these own works, Hellmann has created other pieces in changing artistic collaborations - "Nach Lampedusa - Wandererfantasien" (with Ursina Greuel & Samuel Fried / 2014) about the situation of refugees in Switzerland, and the performance "All In" (with Layton Lachman & Anne Welenc / 2019) on triadic love relationships. Finally, since 2018 Hellmann has curated the performing arts for the interdisciplinary gender and sexuality festival LA FÊTE DU SLIP in Lausanne. Website: www.daniel-hellmann.com and www.soyathecow.com Twitter: @soyathecow Instagram: @soyathecow Bandcamp: https://soyathecow.bandcamp.com Full Service Project: www.full-service-project.com Starving Vulture Video: https://youtu.be/pUsZGJKp-b8 At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast If you’d like to share your point of view of what it means to “make it”, send me a voice recording to makinitinopera@gmail.com and I may feature you in a future episode. Music credit: Our Block Party by Reaktor Productions A Podcast Launch Bestie production

In this episode I will visit with my dear friends, Julie Wyma and Anastasia Nikolov, founders of Opera Programs Berlin. Both Julie and Anastasia went through traditional conservatory training, and were both taken aback by the insistence that there’s only one prescribed path to success in opera.  Their answer to filling the gaps in vocal education was to create Opera Programs Berlin, an online and in-person opera academy which has grown exponentially over the last year in the online space. As an educator, Julie’s passion lies in helping singers make the transition from student to professional, and in guiding talented people to the places where they are needed. She has served as a vocal coach, preparing singers for auditions and talent competitions, as well as an audition panelist and advisor. With organizations such as Opera Programs Berlin, Dramatic Voices Program Berlin, Irrational Entertainment, Midwest Early Opera Works, Voci Inglesi, Berlin Wagner Gruppe and Berliner Opernverein, she has facilitated performance opportunities for singers seeking additional stage experience and the chance to hone their craft in a supportive, professional environment. As a professional operatic soprano she has performed more than 25 roles, including die Königin der Nacht and Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in I barbiere di Siviglia, Adele in Die Fledermaus, Gilda in Rigoletto, Marie in Die verkaufte Braut, Musetta in La Bohème, Sophie in Werther, Gretel in Hänsel und Gretel, the Waldvogel in Siegfried, and Norina in Don Pasquale. Of her Norina, the Kansas City Metropolis said: “soprano Julie Wyma sparkled with a self-confident air and a strong, beautiful voice.”  ​ An active concert performer and recitalist, her recent appearances include concerts at the US Consul General in Düsseldorf and the Residence of the US Ambassador to Germany in Berlin; a song recital at the University of Pittsburg at Greensburg; Lovers’ Quarrels, a concert of operatic duets and arias in Concord, New Hampshire and Niemegk, Germany; Three Tenors and a Soprano concerts in Cornish and New London, New Hampshire; and Viva Divas!, a concert of operatic arias, duets, and trios in Cornish, New Hampshire, Phoenix, Arizona and Berlin, Germany. ​​Soprano Anastasia Nikolov started her musical training at the age of 5, studying piano. She was a member of the Bulgarian National Theater Youth Ensemble, where she was cast in numerous main stage and touring productions. Her training at the National Theatre included acting, improvisation, Latin and folk dance. Other musical studies also included percussion and classical guitar. Ms. Nikolov is a champion of new music. She has premiered works by prominent American and British composers such as Vartan Aghababian, Michael Djupstrom, Victoria Ellis, Heather Gilligan and Eric Sawyer; some of these works were written and dedicated to her. In addition to numerous song cycles and solo concert works with orchestra, she also created the role of Anna von Mildenburg in the new piece Geboren Alma Schindler (Berliner Opern Verein); the role of Member of the Chamber in the premiere performance of Eric Sawyer's Our American Cousin (Composers in Red Sneakers); and the title role in the world premiere of Victoria Ellis' opera Darling (One of Us Foundation). Twitter @operaberlin Instagram @operaprogramsberlin Facebook  @operaprogramsberlin www.operaprogramsberlin.com At makinitinopera.com, you...

Trey McLaughlin has been singing as long as he could remember and he knew he was going to be a singer by age 4.  He grew up singing gospel and teaching his classmates the songs during recess, harmonies and all. When he got to college, he was pushed to study classical vocal technique because he could make the right sounds.  There was a lot of pressure to do “legitimate” art, instead of the gospel style he already knew how to do, and he threw himself into the work of being the best singer he could be.  His path took him to create his group Sounds of Zamar, which went viral a few years ago.  He feels that following his passions has given him the confidence to trust himself and pursue his heart’s desires.   Trey is a 2008 graduate of Columbus State University (The Schwob School of Music) in Columbus, GA. During his time at CSU, Trey was a member of its University Singers and Chorale. Trey is a member and past president of the professional music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and he is a former director of G.E.N.E.S.I.S. -- the Columbus State University Gospel Choir. In May of 2008, Mr. McLaughlin attained a Bachelor of Science in Music Performance with an emphasis in Vocal Pedagogy.    In 2014, Mr. McLaughlin began his international career, conducting a Master Class and performing at the L’Opéra de Massy in Massy, France. Since then, he has served as the guest clinician for several workshops abroad. In October of 2015, Trey conducted a 300-voice choir in Krakow, Poland, as the guest clinician of the annual 7x Festival. Trey was also afforded the opportunity to conduct a workshop and perform in Menorca, Spain; Rajadell, Spain; and Aarhus, Denmark. At home, Trey has been extended the honor of serving as the guest clinician for Honor Choruses throughout the state of Georgia.   Trey is a passionate solo vocalist -- recognizing the beauty of, and fusing together an eclectic mix of musical genres for all those who encounter his artistry. He composes and performs original works and prolifically arranged covers with his own recording ensemble, The Sounds of Zamar. Presenting what is known as “The Zamar Experience” Tour this Fall & Winter throughout various regions of the United States, the group has recently returned from a national tour coast, ministering to diverse audiences in Davis, CA; Berkely, CA; Stanford, CA; Portland, Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; Tampa, FL; and Jacksonville, FL.    Trey currently serves at Tabernacle Baptist Church of Augusta, Georgia. As Director of Worship and Arts, Mr. McLaughlin stewards and oversees 12 ministries and approximately 250 ministry volunteers. Mr. McLaughlin has taught as adjunct faculty at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, teaching graduate level courses where he continues his passion for writing and arranging music, teaching piano, and conducting classes in vocal technique.  ​ As a performer, composer and arranger, clinician, educator, mentor and arts advocate, Trey McLaughlin is ambassador for the Augusta Arts community. As such, he was recognized by the Augusta Arts Council as its 2018 Artist of the Year. His international, national and local work in the arts continues to provide rich cultural, artistic experiences for all who encounter his programming. www.treymclaughlin.com Better is One Day with Sounds of Zamar YouTube Video https://youtu.be/Lkm5KnBxFvQ Instagram @treymclaughlin Twitter @treymclaughlin At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a...

Like many others, I got my opera degree because I loved singing, I loved music, and I dreamed of being in the spotlight.  After years in the chorus and schlepping from audition to audition, it became clear that we had been trained that in order to “make it” in opera, you had to follow a prescriptive path. One that has its artists doing everything they can to fit into a box, rather than figure out who they are, what it is they want to say, and who they want to serve with their art..  No wonder the industry has spent years struggling for relevance in the wider culture.   The people I’ll talk to in this podcast have followed their art, making it on their own terms. I’ve found that there are many facets to making it on your own terms, and it’s a process with many different outcomes.In this season, all have remained in the music industry, and all are performing. In seasons to come, we’ll branch out from there to explore paths that lead people in all different directions  With this podcast, I hope to contribute to the conversation about how we train artists, so that they can enter the workforce prepared not just to get a job, but to shape their art form At makinitinopera.com, you can  Get access to a spreadsheet of resources and inspiration from folks who are changing the conversation about how we tell stories and how we train artists Subscribe to the Audition Pep Talk Series newsletter Donate and support the podcast If you’d like to share your point of view of what it means to “make it”, send me a voice recording to makinitinopera@gmail.com and I may feature you in a future episode. Poetry on Instagram @wonderlanddispatches Housing Activism and Resources with Jocelyn's Corner on Instagram @jocelyns_corner www.gwendolynkuhlmann.de Music credit: Our Block Party by Reaktor Productions A Podcast Launch Bestie production

A podcast about what it really takes to find your voice and make the life and the art that you love. Interviews with artists who have branched out in or broken out of the opera industry and are changing it for the better.